Method and System for Automatic Directory Entry for Telecommunications Devices

ABSTRACT

Described is a method for entry of information into a directory accessible to a caller telecommunications device. Information associated with a called telecommunications device is transmitted from the called telecommunications device over an auxiliary communication channel to a caller telecommunications device. The information is sent in response to an initiation of a communication, such as a voice communication, between the devices over a primary communication channel. An inquiry is presented to a user of the caller telecommunications device to determine if the received information is to be stored. If the user responds affirmatively, the information is stored in a directory in the caller telecommunications device or in a directory on a remote server accessible to the caller telecommunications device. In other embodiments one or more additional auxiliary communications channels are used to transmit or retrieve the information.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to the use of auxiliary data associatedwith a communications session such as a telephone call. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to how such data are automaticallygenerated and communicated by a called telecommunications device andused by a telecommunications device that initiates the communicationssession.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Telephones are widely used for business and personal communications.Telephone communications were originally limited to wired configurationsand telephones had limited functionality that typically included onlythe ability to dial a number and to receive a call from another wiredtelephone on the network. The introduction of mobile phones enabledusers to make and receive telephone calls over greater areas as long asthe user was within the range of a base station. The base station oftenwas owned by the user's mobile operator or some other operators in caseswhere number portability is available. Users realized increased mobilityfrom the introduction of cellular phones. Public adoption of cell phonesincreased dramatically as cellular coverage increased, cell phonetechnology advanced and cell phones decreased in size.

Today most telephones have functionality well beyond their ability toinitiate or receive voice communications. For example, many telephonesinclude a contact directory which indicates a name or telephone number.Names and corresponding telephone numbers are typically added to acontact directory by the user by entering alphanumeric characters via akeypad on the telephone. Many telephones also maintain a list of calledtelephone numbers and a list of telephone numbers associated withreceived calls. If a user wants to place a call, the user typicallyselects the desired telephone number from one of the lists and theninitiates the call by depressing a “call button.”

The convenience of making a telephone call using a telephone numberstored in a contact directory often presents problems for the user. Forexample, if a significant time has passed since the call was made orreceived, the user may view the corresponding telephone number and notrecognize or remember the person or business associated with thatnumber. It may be possible that the user may not remember the originalcall even if a name is stored with the number. In other instances, thetelephone may have limited capacity to store numbers so that the usermay only want to store frequently called telephone numbers in thedirectory or the user may simply want to maintain an uncluttereddirectory. In still other instances, a caller may seek informationregarding the called person or business but the information may not bereadily obtained and may depend on whether or not an individual isavailable to answer the call.

The present invention addresses the needs identified above and providesadditional advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention features a method for entry of informationinto a directory of a caller telecommunications device. Information istransmitted from a called telecommunications device over a firstcommunication channel and received at the caller telecommunicationsdevice. The information is associated with the called telecommunicationsdevice and is transmitted in response to an initiation of acommunication between the caller telecommunications device and thecalled telecommunications device over a second communication channel. Aninquiry is presented to a user of the caller telecommunication device todetermine if the received information is to be stored in the directoryof the caller telecommunications device. The information is stored inthe directory of the caller telecommunications device based on aresponse of the user to the inquiry.

In another aspect, the invention features a method for providing contentfrom a called telecommunications device to a caller telecommunicationsdevice. A communication initiated by a caller telecommunications deviceand established over a first communication channel is received andcaller information that is associated with the caller telecommunicationsdevice and transmitted over a second communication channel is alsoreceived. An information set to send to the caller telecommunicationsdevice is selected from a plurality of information sets based on thecaller information. The selected information set is sent to the callertelecommunications device over the second communication channel

In yet another aspect, the invention features a method for providingcontent from a called telecommunications device to a callertelecommunications device. A communication initiated by a callertelecommunications device and established over a first communicationchannel is received. Caller information that is associated with thecaller telecommunications device and transmitted over a secondcommunication channel is also received. An information set to send tothe caller telecommunications device is selected from a plurality ofinformation sets based on the caller information. The selectedinformation set is sent to a server over a third communication channel.The server stores the selected information in a directory accessible tothe caller telecommunications device.

In still another aspect, the invention features a method for automaticexecution of a task on a caller telecommunications device. Aninformation set is transmitted from a called telecommunications deviceover a first communication channel to the caller telecommunicationsdevice. The caller telecommunications device is in communication withthe called telecommunications device over a second communicationchannel. The transmitted information set is received at the callertelecommunications device and a task is initiated on the callertelecommunications device in response to the transmitted informationset.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and further advantages of this invention may be betterunderstood by referring to the following description in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate likestructural elements and features in the various figures. For clarity,not every element may be labeled in every figure. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart representation of an embodiment of a method forentry of information into a directory of a caller telecommunicationsdevice according to the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a communications environment in which the method ofFIG. 1 can be practiced.

FIG. 3 illustrates another communications environment in which entry ofinformation into a directory of a caller telecommunications deviceaccording to the invention can be practiced.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative communications environment to that depictedin FIG. 3 where reverse caller ID information is transmitted from thecalled device to a directory server.

FIG. 5 illustrates caller telecommunications devices in communicationwith a called telecommunications system according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart representation of an embodiment of a process inwhich a customized information set is provided to a caller deviceaccording to the invention.

FIG. 7 depicts an alternative arrangement to the configuration of FIG.5, where various information sets are stored in the memory of aninformation server.

FIG. 8 shows an alternative configuration to that shown in FIG. 7, wherelimited data that are responsive to the respective phone calls are sentto the caller devices instead of the information server.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart representation of an embodiment of a method forautomatic execution of an application program on a callertelecommunications device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In brief overview, the invention relates to methods for entry ofinformation into a directory accessible to a caller telecommunicationsdevice as described below. The methods allow for the automaticpopulation of a directory with information relating to a calledtelecommunications device. The directory can be maintained on the callertelecommunications device or on a server accessible to the callertelecommunications device.

Historically, a voice telephone communication (hereinafter a telephone“call”) is made by dialing a telephone number that is associated with acalled telecommunications device, that is, the device that receives thecall. As used herein, a telecommunications device means any device thatcan initiate a communications session during which data such as voicedata, text, images or combinations of data types are sent to andreceived from a different telecommunications device. Telecommunicationsdevices include, by way of example, landline telephones (e.g.,conventional desk phone, cordless phones and the like), Internettelephones and mobile telephones (e.g., wireless phones). The principlesof the invention as set forth below are generally described with respectto telephones (or “phones”) but it should be recognized that theinvention also contemplates other varieties of telecommunicationsdevices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and handheld andlaptop computers.

Telephones have evolved significantly over time so that manycommercially available telephones now include a storage capability thatpermits a registry of telephone numbers and the people or businessesassociated with the telephone numbers. The registry is often referred toas a directory or contact list. In modern mobile telephones, thedirectory can contain additional information such as residentialaddresses, email addresses, and additional telephone numbers andidentifiers for the listed people and businesses. Some directories alsopermit an image to be associated with the person or business.

Directories can be searched in a variety of ways including by scrollingthrough the entries in the directory or by entering an identifier of theparty to be called either in whole or in part. For example, some mobiletelephones permit a user to retrieve a desired entry in the directory byentering through the telephone keypad one or more letters of thecorresponding name or identifier. The telephone then displays a subsetof the entries in the directory that includes only those entries thatbegin with the entered letters. The user then scrolls through thedisplayed entries and can select one of the entries to initiate a callwithout the need to enter any of the digits in the associated telephonenumber. In another example, some mobile telephones permit a user tospeak the identifier for the party to be called. The spoken identifieris then “translated to text data” to enable a search of the directory.Once the identifier is found, the associated telephone number isautomatically dialed without any further action required by the user.

A directory can be entered into a telephone by a user, for example, theowner of the telephone, or the directory can often be createdautomatically. Some telephone service providers retrieve and store thedirectory from a customer telephone for convenience. The storeddirectory can later be automatically loaded into a telephone that thecustomer purchases, rents or otherwise obtains. Some telephones storethe directory on a removable device that may also store customerauthorization information. In this case, a user may install theremovable device in a number of different mobile telephones or portabledevices to thereby gain access to both telephone services and theentries in the directory. One example of a removable device for thispurpose is a subscriber identity module (SIM) chip that complies withthe Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard. Thedirectory can also be stored on storage devices that are separate andindependent of the SIM chip.

Some telephones and mobile devices include an electrical cable or anancillary radios that permit connection to a computer. Examples includedevices having a universal serial bus (USB) cable or Bluetoothcapability. Through the connection, data in the directory can be storedon a user's computer, edited by the user on the computer and loaded fromthe computer into the telephone. Editing in this manner is often moreconvenient that performing editing directly at the telephone due in partto the typically smaller dimensions of the telephone keypad and display,and because the computer a more user-friendly editing or entrymanipulation program may be available on the computer.

Many commercially-available telephones today provide “logs” of telephonecalls made or received by the device. The call logs can be long lists ormay only maintain information for the most recent calls. In addition,the call logs can indicate whether the call was an incoming call, apreviously attempted call, whether or not the call was completed, andcan include other information such as the time of day the call was madeand the duration of the call.

One use of a call log is to simplify repeated calling of a party. Forexample, many telephones permit re-dialing the most recent call in thecall log using a single keystroke. Redialing can also be accomplished byscrolling through the entries displayed for the call log and selecting aparticular entry, thereby avoiding the need to re-enter the fulltelephone number. In some instances a user may use the call log to avoidthe inconvenience of opening or otherwise searching the directory forthe same telephone number.

Often the software in the telephone automatically enters the name of theparty that has called or has been called into the call log. This processis facilitated by two aspects of telephone systems. First, when a userinitiates a communication on a telephone, the telephone system transmitsinformation relating to the calling party as part of the establishmentof a connection between the calling telephone and the called telephone.This service, typically referred to as “caller ID,” has been availablefor many years for both residential and business users. The caller IDinformation can include the name as well as the telephone number of thecaller device. Users often use the information when receiving a call todetermine who is calling and therefore whether to answer the call. Thisdetermination is frequently referred to as “screening a call.” Thesecond aspect relates to the use by some telephones to search thedirectory in order to display the name of the calling party in additionto (or in place of) their telephone number. For example, a user can havean entry in a directory that includes their home telephone number andthe title “HOME.” When a call is initiated by the user's home telephone,the receiving telephone presents the word “HOME” on the telephonedisplay. Some telephones also include the ability to speak the word“HOME” so that the user can recognize the calling party withoutreferencing the display. The displayed name is not required to be theactual name of the calling party as might be listed in a publishedtelephone directory. Instead, the displayed name can be any reference tobe associated with the telephone number and stored in the directory suchas a colloquial or personalized reference.

One feature of a caller ID system is that the caller ID information canbe disabled by the calling party. This option allows the calling partyto make a call without revealing the name of the calling party or thetelephone number associated with the caller telephone. Caller IDdisablement is often utilized by people or organizations thatautomatically or repeatedly dial telephone numbers using telephones thatare configured for outgoing calls only.

Another common attribute of many telephones is an expedited means toenter telephone numbers into the directory. When a user enters atelephone number directly that can be used for later dialing, the usercan add other contact information such as the name of the partyassociated with the telephone number to be saved along with thetelephone number. Similarly, when a user receives a call, the user canenter the telephone number for the calling device into the directorywithout the need to re-enter the number manually. The user only needs toedit an entry in the directory and associate the calling party'stelephone number with that entry or the user can create a new name bywhich to identify the telephone number.

Based on the capabilities described above, the need to make a call bymanually enter telephone numbers using a keypad has been substantiallyreduced. Eventually the use of traditional telephone numbers may bevirtually eliminated at least from the perspective of a typicaltelephone user, although the use of a telephone number may still beemployed at a level that is transparent to the user. The capabilitiesare similar to those available with electronic mail (“email”) systems inuse today. Email addresses often are rapidly and automatically enteredinto email personal address books after their first use in a sent orreceived email. After a user enters the first few characters of an emailaddress that is stored in the personal address book into a newlycomposed email before sending, an application operating on the emailclient often automatically completes the email address by filling in theremainder of the email address. In some instances, if an insufficientnumber of characters have been entered to unambiguously determine thecomplete email address, a short list of addresses matching the enteredletters is presented to the user.

The existence of information related to a telephone call that originatesat the caller device, at the called device or at one or moreintermediate points used to establish the communications session betweenthe caller and called devices is accommodated in existing conventionaltelephone systems (landline or mobile) and existing voice over InternetProtocol (VOIP) systems. In landline systems, caller ID information istypically generated by the telephone carrier at a central office. Thecaller ID information is generally sent during an initial period whenthe call is established. In typical residential telephone systems,caller ID data are sent between the first and second ring signals. Indigital systems such as office phone systems and communications betweentelephone carrier sites, or in Integrated Services Digital Network(ISDN) telephone systems, the caller ID information can be carried as anadditional signal within the telephone call. Such systems support theinclusion of data that are not related to voice communications alongwith the voice data.

Some office telephone systems called Private Branch Exchanges (PBXs)provide for sending information about the party being called back to thecaller device. For example, the dialed number can be indicated on atelephone display. If the call is transferred to a telephone differentfrom the dialed telephone (such as when the dialed telephone is busy), atelephone number corresponding to the telephone receiving thetransferred call is then displayed. Thus the caller knows that the callhas been transferred. In many VOIP systems, Session Initiation Protocol(SIP) is used to establish a connection between the caller device andthe called device. The protocol provides for the bidirectionalcommunication of information between the devices that can indicate thetype of voice coder to be used by each device and identification data.The information can originate at the caller device or called device, orthe information can be inserted by proxy devices disposed between thecaller device and the called device.

Mobile telephone systems use a digital channel that is associated withinformation used to control mobile devices and to establish telephonecalls. This additional digital channel is sometimes used to accommodateShort Message Service (SMS) communications such as text messages ormessages to a user regarding availability of service or accountinformation. Text messages can be generated by a user by entering textusing a device keypad or by a user through a keyboard at an Internetterminal. For example, some services allow a user to address an email toa user of a mobile telephone by including the telephone number of thetelephone as part of an email address. Other mobile electronics devicesthat serve as “portable digital assistants” such as a BlackBerry® andiPhone® have multiple communications paths available and thereforepermit simultaneous communications such as concurrent voice and datacommunications.

The systems described are not always convenient for directorymanagement. More specifically, the systems do not provide for automaticentry of a new contact into a directory. For example, when a callerplaces a call to a restaurant for the first time, the caller determinesthe phone number using a printed or displayed telephone directory suchas a phone book or online directory webpage. The caller then enters thedigits for the telephone number manually using a keypad on thetelecommunications device. Subsequently, the “dialed number” appears ina log of attempted calls only as digits as there is no other informationyet entered by which the call can be identified. If the caller wishes tosave the dialed number for later use, the number can be left in the logor stored in the directory. The caller then manually provides textualinformation, such as the restaurant name, to be stored and associatedwith the telephone number to aid the caller in recognition and retrievalat a later time.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 100 for entry ofinformation into a caller directory according to the invention and FIG.2 illustrates a communications environment in which the method 100 canbe practiced. A caller telecommunications device 10 (e.g., a wirelessphone) initiates (step 105) a telephone call to a calledtelecommunications device 14 over a voice communications channel 18.Regardless of whether the call is answered or not, the called device 14utilizes a second communications channel, that is, an auxiliary datachannel 22, to send (step 110) information to the caller device 10. Theinformation that is returned to the caller device 10 is similar toconventional caller ID information sent at the initiation of a call withtwo significant distinctions. First, the information includesidentification of the called device 14 by a representative name, anassociated telephone number or both name and telephone number. Second,the information is sent from (or on behalf of) the called device 14 tothe caller device 10 instead of being sent from (or on behalf of) thecaller device 10 to the called device 14. Thus the information can bereferred to as “reverse caller ID” or “connected ID” information.Although the reverse caller ID information is shown as being sourceddirectly from the called telecommunications device, in other embodimentsthe information is inserted into the auxiliary data channel by a proxydevice. For example, the information can be inserted via a localexchange in a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or via a privatebranch exchange (PBX). In other embodiments described in more detailbelow, the returned information includes additional information, ormetadata, that relates to the called device 14 or is associated with theintent or purpose of the telephone call.

Upon receipt of the reverse caller ID information at the caller device10, an application executing on the caller device 10 determines (step115) whether the reverse caller ID information is stored in thedirectory 30. If the information is already stored, an inquiry ispresented to the user to determine (step 120) whether or not to modifythe corresponding information stored in the directory 30 and amodification to the information is performed (step 125), if appropriate.If it is determined in step 115 that the reversed caller ID was notalready stored in the directory 30, the user is prompted to determine(step 130) whether or not to add the received information to thedirectory 30 or if the user wants to delay the decision on adding theinformation. The telephone number and new information is added (step135) to the directory if the user responds affirmatively. If the userelects to delay the decision, the user is prompted again afterexpiration of a preset time or when the call is terminated (step 140).The user may repeatedly elect to delay in the event the user is engagedin a voice conversation or distracting activity, and does not wish tocommit to a decision.

Inquiries and user prompts can be presented to the user in variousforms. For example, the caller device 10 can display prompts, generatean audible prompt or speak the prompt. The user conveniently responds tothe prompt by entering a response via a device keypad with one or morekeystrokes or, if the device has voice recognition capability, the usermay speak a response, for example, by saying “YES”, “NO”, “ADD”, “WAIT”or “CHANGE”.

FIG. 3 illustrates another communications environment in which entry ofinformation into a caller directory according to the invention can bepracticed. The user's directory is not maintained on the callertelecommunications device 10 but is instead stored on a directory server34 accessible to the user. The directory server 34 may store multipledirectories 30A, 30B and 30C (generally 30, only three are shown forclarity) for a number of different users. Reverse caller ID informationreceived by the caller device 10 is “forwarded” to the server 34 andstored in the corresponding directory 30. Advantageously, each user isable to access and manage their own directory 30 using any number oftelecommunications devices. For example, a user can access and manage asingle “remote directory” 30 using a wireless phone, a handheld personaldigital assistant, a personal computer and the like without the need toperform local synchronizations between the devices. Eachtelecommunications device can access the user's directory 30 through adirectory communications channel 38 which may be established, forexample, via the Internet using a uniform resource locator (URL)associated with the directory server 34.

FIG. 4 shows a communications environment similar to that depicted inFIG. 3 except that the reverse caller ID information is transmitted fromthe called device 14 (or a proxy acting on behalf of the called device)to the directory server 34. In this environment the caller device 10 hasaccess and management ability for the directory 30; however, the callerdevice 10 is not involved in routing the reverse caller ID informationto the server 34. For example, the caller device 10 forwards information(e.g., a server URL) to the called device 14 over the auxiliary datachannel 22 to enable the called device 14 to send the reverse caller IDinformation to the server 34.

According to other embodiments of the method of the invention, theauxiliary data channel can also be used to provide metadata to augmentthe utility of a telephone call. The metadata includes additional datathat relate to the data present in the main body of a communicationbetween the caller device 10 and the called device 14. In the exampledescribed above where a user calls a restaurant, the metadata can besent to the caller device 10 in combination with the reverse caller IDinformation. The additional information can be presented to the user onthe display of the caller telecommunications device 10 and can include,for example, location information for the restaurant or a confirmationfor a requested dinner reservation.

FIG. 5 illustrates caller telecommunications devices 10A to 10D(generally 10) that communicate with a called telecommunications system38. Each caller device 10 is identified to the called system 38 bycaller ID information. The called telecommunications system 38 includesan interpreter module 42 instantiated as a hardware processor incommunication with a memory module 46. The interpreter module 42receives caller ID information over auxiliary communications channel intandem with incoming phone calls from the caller devices 10. The memorymodule 46 stores caller ID information for each incoming call, includingthe telephone number and name associated with each calling device 10 andother parameters such as the date and time that each call is received.In one option, the memory module 42 also stores category informationrelating to the call. Category information indicates the purpose of acall, such as the intent to make a reservation or to request productinformation. In one embodiment, category information is determined byprompting the caller to categorize the call. For example, the caller canbe prompted to identify the call as a request for general information,for directions, for account information and the like. The appropriatekeystroke or spoken response is provided by the caller.

Depending on the caller ID information or a combination of caller IDinformation and other known information (e.g., category information andhistorical call information), the interpreter module 42 determines whichinformation set “INFO A” 50A, “INFO B” 50B or “INFO C” 50C (generally50) stored in memory module 54 is most relevant to a particular callerdevice 10 and therefore is to be sent via the auxiliary data channel tothat caller device 10. The information sets 50 contemplated according tothe invention can include various types of metadata. For example, aninformation set can include welcome information that includes a businessaddress and hours of operation for a business associated with the calledtelecommunications system 38. Other examples of information sets includerestaurant menus, product information and reservation information.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart representation of an exemplary process 200 inwhich a customized information set is provided to a caller device 10according to the invention. Referring again to the restaurant exampledescribed above and to FIGS. 5 and 6, a first-time caller initiates(step 205) a call from a caller telecommunications device 10 to arestaurant. A called telecommunications system 38 associated with therestaurant receives (step 210) the call and determines (step 215) if thecall is being placed by a known caller device. The determination can bemade by comparing the telephone number with the entries for previouslyreceived calls that are stored in the memory module 46.

If the number is not recognized, that is, if the call is from a newcaller, caller parameters (e.g., the area code associated with thecaller device 10) are examined (step 220) to determine (step 225) theappropriate information set to send. Subsequently, the “matchedinformation set” is sent (step 230) to the caller device 10 over theauxiliary data channel. For example, welcome information that includeshours of operation and location information can be sent along with therestaurant's name and telephone number.

If the call is from a recognized caller device 10, caller parameters arealso examined (step 235) to determine (step 240) and send (step 245) theappropriate information set. In this second process path, callerparameters can also include historical data that track the date and timewhen previous calls were received from this caller device 10. Forexample, the called system 38 may recognize the caller ID information ofthe caller device 10 as matching a recent call having a categoryindicating that the user requested reservation information. In such aninstance, metadata confirming a specific reservation time is sent backto the caller device 10 over the auxiliary data channel. Alternatively,the confirmation metadata may be “pushed” to the caller device 10 at alater time over an auxiliary data channel without requiring a subsequentphone call to be initiated by the caller device 10.

In another example, a user may dial an “800 number” to obtain specificproduct information. In this example, the interpreter module 42associated with the called system 38 can examine the area code in thecaller ID information to determine a particular information set toreturn to the caller device 10. The information set can include theappropriate local contact information for the caller and may also beprovided in the predominant language associated with the area code.

The process 200 shown in FIG. 6 and described above is a limited exampleof how different information sets may be selected. It should berecognized that a wide range of caller parameters, including categoryinformation and historical information, available to the called device14 or system 38 may be examined and accorded equal or different weightsin determining which information set to send.

FIG. 7 depicts an alternative arrangement of the configuration of FIG. 5where various information sets 50 are stored in memory 54 of aninformation server 58. As illustrated, the server 58 is remotely locatedfrom the called telecommunications device 14. Advantageously, the calleddevice 14 transmits limited data to the server 58 sufficient to identifythe proper information set 50 to be sent and to identify the callerdevice 10 to receive the information. A server communications channel 62is established between the called device 14 and the information server58 over which the additional information is transmitted, thus overcomingpotential bandwidth limitations with the auxiliary data channelestablished between a caller device 10 and the called device 14. Theinformation server 58 distributes the information sets over separateauxiliary data channels 66A to 66D established independently for eachcaller device 10A to 10D, respectively. For example, if the callertelecommunications device includes a web browser, the separate auxiliarycommunications channel can be established with the information server 58through the Internet.

FIG. 8 shows an alternative configuration to that shown in FIG. 7. Asdescribed above, caller ID information and other caller parameters areused to determine which information set 50 to send to each caller device10; however, the limited data that are responsive to the respectivephone calls are sent to the caller devices 10 instead of the informationserver 58. The limited data sent to a particular caller device 10 areaccompanied by a link used to establish a connection between the callerdevice 10 and the information server 58. For example, the link mayinclude the URL of the server 58 and data that identify which one of thestored information sets 50 is to be sent.

In another aspect the invention features a method of automatic executionof a task associated with the content of a communications session. Themethod is an extension of the capabilities described above whereadditional information accompanying the reverse caller ID information ispresented to a user. The additional information is sent from a callertelecommunications device 14 or system 38 in a format that is provideddirectly or in modified form to an application resident on the callerdevice 10.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart representation of an embodiment of a method 300for automatic execution of an application program on a callertelecommunications device according to the invention. A user of thecaller telecommunications device initiates (step 305) a telephone callwith a called telecommunications device. Caller ID information isreceived (step 310) is received at the called device and can be used asdescribed above to determine information to be returned to the callerdevice over an auxiliary communications channel. However, theinformation is generated (step 315) in the form of input data that canbe utilized by an application or software program resident on the callerdevice. The application input data are sent (step 320) to the callerdevice over the auxiliary communications channel. Upon receipt of theinput data, the caller device determines (step 325) the appropriateapplication or software program to process the input data.

In one embodiment, the application provides a visual display to theuser. For example, the data processed by the application may becoordinates that are interpreted and displayed by a mapping program inthe form of a map indicating a specific location. Alternatively, thecoordinates may be used by a navigation program to provide textual,graphical and/or spoken information to assist the user in traveling tothe location. Advantageously, businesses such as the restaurantdescribed above can easily provide potential customers with directionsto their business locations.

Other types of applications are also contemplated for processing theinput data on the caller telecommunications device. For example, theapplication program can be a calendar or appointment program whichmaintains appointments and personal tasks for a user. In this example,the data received by the caller device over the auxiliary communicationschannel can include a business name, a contact name and a date and timefor a meeting. The data are processed by the calendar program andautomatically entered into the user's calendar without any userinteraction. The user can then see the scheduled appointment with otherrelevant information and may receive audible and visual notifications asthe appointment time approaches.

Although some of the embodiments described above relate to telephonedevices and voice communications, it should be noted that the callertelecommunications device and the called telecommunications device canbe other forms of telecommunications devices and that the method can beapplied using alternative forms of communications such as instantmessaging and email. For example, auxiliary data similar to the reversecaller ID information can be transmitted over a separate communicationschannel that is either physically or logically distinct from the maincommunications data. In the case of email, a modified email messageformat can be used such that the reverse caller ID data are contained inthe email data but maintained separate from the email header fields andbody text. Alternatively, the reverse caller ID data are provided in aseparate message that is received by the caller telecommunicationsdevice but not processed by the email client as a conventional emailmessage.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tospecific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in theart that various changes in form and detail may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as recited in theaccompanying claims.

1. A method for entry of information into a directory of a callertelecommunications device, the method comprising: receiving at thecaller telecommunications device information that is transmitted over afirst communication channel from a called telecommunications device, theinformation being associated with the called telecommunications deviceand being transmitted in response to an initiation of a communicationbetween the caller telecommunications device and the calledtelecommunications device over a second communication channel;presenting an inquiry to a user of the caller telecommunication deviceto determine if the received information is to be stored in thedirectory of the caller telecommunications device; and storing theinformation in the directory of the caller telecommunications devicebased on a response of the user to the inquiry.
 2. The method of claim 1wherein the inquiry is presented on a display of the callertelecommunications device.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the inquiryis an audible prompt issued by the caller telecommunications device. 4.The method of claim 1 wherein storing the information in the directorycomprises deleting at least a portion of previously-stored informationassociated with the called telecommunications device.
 5. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the information comprises a telephone number for thecalled telecommunications device.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein theinformation comprises a name representative of the calledtelecommunications device.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein thecommunication between the caller telecommunications device and thecalled telecommunications device is a voice communication.
 8. A methodfor providing content from a called telecommunications device to acaller telecommunications device, the method comprising: receiving acommunication initiated by a caller telecommunications device andestablished over a first communication channel; receiving callerinformation that is associated with the caller telecommunications deviceand transmitted over a second communication channel; selecting aninformation set from a plurality of information sets to send to thecaller telecommunications device based on the caller information; andsending the selected information set to the caller telecommunicationsdevice over the second communication channel.
 9. The method of claim 8wherein the selection of the information set is based on historicalcaller information.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein the callerinformation comprises at least a portion of a telephone number for thecaller telecommunications device.
 11. The method of claim 8 wherein thecommunication initiated by the caller telecommunications device andestablished over the first communication channel is a voicecommunication.
 12. The method of claim 8 further comprising: receivingthe selected information set at the caller telecommunications device;sending at least a portion of the selected information set from thecaller telecommunications device to a directory server; and storing theselected information sent from the caller telecommunications device atthe directory server.
 13. A method for providing content from a calledtelecommunications device to a caller telecommunications device, themethod comprising: receiving a communication initiated by a callertelecommunications device and established over a first communicationchannel; receiving caller information that is associated with the callertelecommunications device and transmitted over a second communicationchannel; selecting an information set from a plurality of informationsets to send to the caller telecommunications device based on the callerinformation; and sending the selected information set to a server over athird communication channel, the server storing the selected informationin a directory accessible to the caller telecommunications device. 14.The method of claim 13 wherein the selection of the information set isbased on historical caller information.
 15. The method of claim 13wherein the caller information comprises at least a portion of atelephone number for the caller telecommunications device.
 16. Themethod of claim 13 wherein the communication initiated by the callertelecommunications device and established over the first communicationchannel is a voice communication.
 17. A method for automatic executionof a task on a caller telecommunications device, the method comprising:transmitting an information set from a called telecommunications deviceover a first communication channel to the caller telecommunicationsdevice, the caller telecommunications device being in communication withthe called telecommunications device over a second communicationchannel; receiving the transmitted information set at the callertelecommunications device; and initiating a task on the callertelecommunications device in response to the transmitted informationset.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the task comprises execution ofan application resident on the caller telecommunications device.
 19. Themethod of claim 17 wherein the task comprises generating a request to aninformation service over a third communication channel.
 20. The methodof claim 17 wherein the caller telecommunications device is in voicecommunication with the called telecommunications device over the secondcommunication channel.
 21. The method of claim 19 wherein the thirdcommunication channel comprises an Internet communication channel.